Being a Directioner—what we fans of One Direction call ourselves—has always offered a sense of inclusion and belonging.
Music
‘R-Rated Taylor Swift’: Why this priest is paying attention (and listening) to Chappell Roan
I’m interested in Chappell Roan because the culture has interest in her and because she’s a very talented, intelligent young artist.
A rare Jesuit opera inspired by St. Francis Xavier
The opera ‘San Xavier’ provides a glimpse of how Jesuits evangelized with music—a key dimension of the 1986 film “The Mission.”
Bronx bluesman and self-proclaimed ‘ferocious Catholic’: Dion DiMucci considers his legacy
Dion a great artist who continues to write and record music even now. But he is also a devoted Catholic, having returned to the faith of his childhood in midlife.
Kendrick Lamar is (lyrically) beating up on Drake in ways hip-hop has never seen before. Why are we eating it up?
A beef between two of the biggest rappers in the world, Kendrick Lamar and Drake, has birthed unforgettable songs for both of these artists.
Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ embraces country music, Black history and religious imagery
With “Cowboy Carter,” her eighth studio album, Beyoncé not only explores the longed-for and carelessly and/or intentionally erased Black past in country music, but also moves the genre forward into a hopefully more expansive future.
We may have reached peak Taylor Swift.
You always hope that your favorite artist’s best work is still ahead of them. But what goes up must come down.
The Jesuits’ musical legacy: A mission opera debuts in Bolivia
This week, a music festival returns to the Chiquitos missions in Bolivia, which the Jesuits established between 1691 and 1760. The story of the Jesuit “reductions” was made popular by the 1986 film ‘The Mission.’
Review: New York City is Vampire Weekend’s muse on ‘Only God Was Above Us’
“Only God Was Above Us” is a definitive “we’re back” statement from Vampire Weekend.
Kacey Musgraves’s new album ‘Deeper Well’ might be her most spiritual work yet
Kacey Musgraves’s new album is not worship music, but rather songs about theological concepts for a secular audience.
